1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to washing machines for washing fabrics, such as clothes, and more particularly to such machines having an orbital motion of the fabric receptacle during the washing and rinsing portions of the cycle of operation of the washing machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional clothes washing machines of the vertical-axis, agitator type are usually rather large and complex. In such machines, there is generally provided a cabinet enclosing a water-retaining tube in which is disposed an inner fabric-receiving receptacle or basket. An agitator is mounted within the basket. The agitator and basket are coupled to a suitable power transmission driven by an electric motor. The transmission converts the high speed of the motor to a speed appropriate for centrifugal extraction of water from the fabrics in the basket and to a slower oscillatory motion of the agitator during the washing cycle. Such machines usually include a water pump for recirculating water within the machine and a filter for separating out the lint and other particles from the recirculated water. Inherently, such machines use large amounts of water. Also there is a high energy interface between the clothes being washed and the oscillating agitator. Many such machines have vibration and traveling problems resulting from imbalances in the machines during the centrifugal water extraction or spinning operation. Such machines have frequently required complex suspension systems, including counterweights, and often the basket is provided with an annular balance ring in a further effort to alleviate the vibration and traveling problems.
Various alternatives have been proposed to simplify washing machines and to eliminate or reduce some of the problems referred to above. One such alternative arrangement is that illustrated and described in the copending application of John Bochan, Ser. No. 142,949, filed Apr. 23, 1980, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 039,406, filed May 15, 1979. The washing machine illustrated and described in the aforementioned Bochan application is of the vertical-axis type wherein the fabric receptacle or basket is driven during the washing and rinsing operations in such manner that the basket moves in an orbital path. The basket is restrained from rotating about its axis while being orbited. In the washing machine of the Bochan application, after the washing or rinsing operation has been completed, provision is made for aligning the basket axis with the axis about which it was orbiting, and the basket is then rotated about this axis to centrifugally extract water from the fabric load.
In the structure of the Bochan application it is necessary that the basket be free to rotate about its axis during the centrifugal extraction or spinning operation and that it be prevented from rotating about its axis while orbiting during the washing or rinsing operation. The Bochan application discloses a mechanism for accomplishing this result. The present invention is directed to an improvement over the apparatus of the Bochan application with respect to the arrangement for preventing rotation of the basket about its axis in the orbiting mode and permitting free rotation of the basket about its axis in the spinning mode and with respect to the arrangement of a crank and eccentric in the transmission.
It is an object of this invention to provide a simplified arrangement for automatically preventing rotation of the fabric receptacle or basket about is axis during the washing or rinsing operation and permitting free rotation of the basket about its axis during the spinning or centrifugal extraction operation.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a braking apparatus and actuating means which is readily accessible.